Golfer's Elbow: What's Going On and What Helps
A sore spot on the inside of your elbow shows up after a weekend of yard work, a new lifting program, or long days at the keyboard. Gripping a coffee mug or shaking hands starts to twinge. Golfer's elbow, which clinicians call medial epicondylitis, gets its name from the golf swing, but you do not need to play golf to get it.
What is golfer's elbow?
The forearm muscles that bend your wrist and turn your palm down attach by tendons to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. With repeated motions or overexertion, those tendons can partially tear and wear down where they attach, which leads to pain [2]. Reviews describe tendon degeneration and small tears at that spot [1][3].
Golf is only one trigger. Throwing, tennis, weightlifting, and repetitive chores can all do it, and it can show up without a specific injury [2][3]. It usually occurs in adults between 40 and 60 [2]. Jobs such as painting, plumbing, construction, cooking, and computer work may raise the chance [3]. It has also been studied far less than tennis elbow [4].
What does it feel like?
Symptoms often develop gradually over weeks to months [2]. Common ones include pain or burning on the inner elbow, sometimes with shooting pain toward the hand, a weaker grip, and less wrist or elbow motion because of pain [2]. It often gets worse when you grasp things, flex your wrist, or shake hands [3].
Sometimes the nearby ulnar nerve is irritated too, causing numbness and tingling in the ring and little fingers [2][3].
Red flags that need urgent care
Golfer's elbow itself is not dangerous. A few other things can look like elbow or arm pain, though, so these deserve attention.
Call 911 if arm pain comes with chest pain that feels tight or squeezing, chest pain that spreads to your arms, neck, or jaw, or severe trouble breathing. These can be signs of a heart attack [5].
Get seen urgently if you hurt your elbow in a fall or collision and it looks out of place or you cannot move it. This is general clinical advice.
MedlinePlus suggests contacting your provider if this is your first episode, if your elbow catches or feels unstable, if home treatment does not help, or if symptoms worsen or numbness and tingling travel down the forearm [3]. Other elbow problems, such as ligament injuries, can look similar [2].
What can you do at home?
Back off the activity that triggers it. MedlinePlus suggests avoiding it for at least 2 to 3 weeks or until the pain settles, then returning gradually [3].
Ice the inner elbow for about 20 minutes, several times a day, wrapped in a towel [2][3].
A short course of an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen may help if it is safe for you. Check with a pharmacist or doctor first [2].
Consider a counterforce brace or wrist brace. A counterforce brace limits the force through the injured tendons, though it may occasionally increase forearm pain [2].
Look at the cause. If golf is the trigger, have your form and equipment checked. If you work at a computer, have your workstation setup looked at [3].
How does physical therapy help?
Exercise has long been the main treatment. Once the first sharp pain settles, the focus shifts to rehabilitating the forearm muscles and preventing a repeat [1]. Early on, the goal is pain-free wrist motion. Then we build strength in wrist flexion and turning the palm down, and slow lengthening movements called eccentric exercises are thought to be especially useful [2].
I want to be straight about the evidence. A 2026 systematic review of five small studies (143 people) found eccentric exercise linked with less pain and better function. Only one trial showed a clear advantage over its comparison group, and the overall certainty of the evidence was low [4]. So eccentric exercise is a reasonable, low-risk tool, not a proven cure.
Platelet-rich plasma injections, dry needling, and shockwave therapy are also used, but it is not yet known how they compare with a good stretching and strengthening program [2]. Steroid injections can give early relief, though some research suggests they may lengthen rehabilitation, so discuss the pros and cons with your doctor [2].
Most cases are treated successfully without surgery. Surgery is only considered after several months of nonsurgical care that has not worked [2], which MedlinePlus puts at 6 to 12 months [3].
When should you get seen?
Come in if the pain has not settled after a couple of weeks of backing off, keeps coming back, or is affecting your grip, work, or training. Numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers is also worth an evaluation [2][3].
How can Hybrid Physical Therapy help?
We spend the first visit working out what is driving your elbow pain, not just where it hurts. You work one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy every session, and we build the plan around what you want to get back to, whether that is a full grip or your next round.
This post is general education and does not replace an exam. If your elbow has been bothering you for more than a couple of weeks, come in and let us take a look.
Let Hybrid Physical Therapy be the ones to optimize your performance.
References:
Amin NH, Kumar NS, Schickendantz MS. Medial epicondylitis: evaluation and management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23(6):348-55. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00145. PubMed (PMID 26001427)
OrthoInfo (AAOS). Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer's Elbow). Source page
MedlinePlus. Medial epicondylitis - golfer's elbow. Review date 11/16/2025. Source page
See ZH, Loo CE, Jaafar Z. Eccentric exercise therapy for medial epicondylitis: A systematic review of clinical outcomes. Complement Ther Med. 2026;98:103364. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103364. PubMed (PMID 41887339)
NHS. Heart attack: symptoms. Page last reviewed 31 March 2026. Source page
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